What schools are best at getting students into top American ballet companies? For the vast majority, ballet training does not lead to a sustained career as a professional ballet dancer. To have a shot at the top, you likely had to do at least one of these three things: 1. Go to multiple summer programs, … Continue reading The Data-Driven Top School List (The “Corona Season” 2020 – 2021)
Hiring Part 3: The Corona Season
CORRECTION: Since we published this post, we have discovered an error in the dataset. Megan LeCrone appeared twice in the data for the 2020 - 2021 Season. There are 992 total dancers for this season. What are the hiring practices of the top 25 American ballet companies? Our Instagram - @datapointes We have broken down … Continue reading Hiring Part 3: The Corona Season
Second Company, Professional Division, Trainee Programs (Part 1)
How common is it for dancers to join second company-like programs in 26 American ballet companies? Our Instagram - @datapointes Over the past decades, various programs have popped up bringing students straight out of training schools into company life. These programs take students in their late teens to early twenties when professional ambitions are more … Continue reading Second Company, Professional Division, Trainee Programs (Part 1)
Hiring Revisited (Part 2)
How many new dancers spots are filled internally vs externally? When trying to join companies, dancers generally have no idea how many spots the artistic director is looking to fill each year. There's two main sources for the director to choose from: internal hiring from the school/second company and external hiring from auditions. Breaking it … Continue reading Hiring Revisited (Part 2)
An Absolutely, Whole-heartedly, Unbiased Top School List
What schools are best at getting students into top American ballet companies? This ain't your grandma's top ballet school list. Here at Data Pointes, we use numbers to back our claims and today we take another look at schooling. For the vast majority, ballet training does not lead to a sustained career as a professional … Continue reading An Absolutely, Whole-heartedly, Unbiased Top School List
A Role for Data in Ballet
Data on dance and specifically ballet is largely private, kept for internal review within arts organizations. So when I began this project, the role of data collection in ballet was unclear. The task seemed intractable. Limited information, spread out between many, many company websites. What insight could be gained? Would there be anything meaningful at … Continue reading A Role for Data in Ballet
Hiring Revisited (Part 1)
What are the hiring practices of different American ballet companies? Last time we looked at hiring and dancer retention, the focus was on the top 6 companies for the 2018 - 2019 season (https://pointes.data.blog/2019/05/12/youre-hired-fired/). This year at Data Pointes, we've followed up that data but also expanded analysis to the top 22 US companies (well, … Continue reading Hiring Revisited (Part 1)
Introducing The American Ballet Network
What are the most common paths to getting into a top American ballet company? One of the major goals of Data Pointes is to aid in career decision-making by providing relevant data - empowering dancers, educators, and parents. After a lot of hard work, I am proud to announce the creation of The American Ballet … Continue reading Introducing The American Ballet Network
A ‘Brand-Name’ Ballet Education
A hypothetical situation. You go to [Big Shot Company]'s summer intensive. They invite you to join their affiliate school year-round. Teenage you is floored by the immensity of this decision as are your parents. You'll have to move away from home but you think maybe it's worth it for a better chance at your dream company. What do you do?
You’re Hired/Fired!
What are the hiring practices of top American ballet companies? Hiring, firing, and moving is a regular part of the ballet world. Companies are made up of dancers in their first season, all the way up to their 24th season (San Francisco Ballet Principal, Yuan Yuan Tan). Ballet is dynamic and let's be honest - … Continue reading You’re Hired/Fired!
